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Committed to achieving health equity and wellbeing for all through exceptional nursing care.

NEW ORLEANS/EINPresswire.com/ — In April 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns took full effect and thousands of people were in intensive care units, nurse leader and CEO of Gifted Healthcare, PK Scheerle, RN, sent out a call to action to 17 of her closest nursing colleagues. Known for their impact on the profession and understanding of the challenges that lie ahead for our communities, these internationally recognized recipients of her call to action sought a venue to work with the public.

These leaders include:
• Professor Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN;
• Lucille Joel, EdD, RN, APN, FAAN;
• Rebecca Love, MSN, RN, FIEL;
• Tim Raderstorf, DNP, RN;
• Franklin A. Shaffer, EdD, RN, FAAN, FFNMRCSI;
• Deborah Ford, MSN, RN
• Susan Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN
• Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN
• Ernest Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN
• Ginna Betts, MSN, JD, RN, FAAN
• Rhonda Anderson, DNSc(h), MPH, RN, FAAN, FACHE
• Barbara Nichols, DNSc(h), MS, RN, FAAN
• Nancy Howell Agee, MSN, BSN, RN
• Odette C. Bolano, BSN
• Ruth Williams-Brinkley, MS, RN
• Kathy Mershon, MSN, RN, CNAA, ANEF, FAAN
• Cole Edmonson, DNP, FAAN

Together, this team founded a nonprofit called NursesEverywhere, with a mission focused on the public, helping them achieve health equity and wellbeing for all through exceptional nursing care.

Prior to the pandemic, a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated that 82 million Americans, nearly a quarter of the US population lacked access to a physician. NursesEverywhere knew that nurses could fill that gap and took action to see if their partners in the public felt the same way. Commissioning the Harris Poll to conduct a survey, NursesEverywhere found that that 89 percent of people in our country believe patients should be able to receive the same level of care from nurses after the pandemic is over as they did during it.

In response, NursesEverywhere decided to run a campaign to elevate nurses’ voices and thank them for their heroic efforts. In January 2021, the “You Didn’t Have To – Thank a Nurse, Wear a Mask” campaign was launched in collaboration with country music duo Brown & Gray, to memorialize this pivotal moment in our profession’s history. Due to the tremendous success of the campaign, NursesEverywhere decided to build on its momentum and launch the official #ThankANurseContest video challenge, in April 2021, in celebration of National Nurses Month and the year anniversary of the launch of the first-ever World Health Organization (WHO) State of the World’s Nursing Report.

The Contest, aimed at recognizing the countless contributions nurses offer, received over 15 entries from healthcare systems and nurses from across the United States. In return, country music duo Brown & Gray generously offered to provide a live (or virtual) concert to the first-place winners, along with an assortment of autographed merchandise to the 2nd and 3rd place winners. At this time, the #ThankANurseContest Committee would like to congratulate the official Contest winners:

• 1st Place: University of Wisconsin Health (UW Health) of Madison, Wisconsin;
• 2nd Place: Ochsner Clinic of New Orleans, Louisiana;
• 3rd Place: Ochsner Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital of Kaplan, Louisiana

A heartfelt congratulations go to all the extraordinary nursing teams that participated in the #ThankANurseContest and for elevating the voices of nurses everywhere!

To learn more about NursesEverywhere and how to become involved, please visit www.NursesEverywhere.com.

About NursesEverywhere:
NursesEverywhere is a voluntary nonpartisan coalition based in New Orleans comprised of nationally and internationally recognized health care leaders and innovators committed to improving health outcomes. In addition, the organization is dedicated to educating the public about their rights to access nursing care.